A single-point mooring provides an offshore unloading point for a ship to transfer generally-fluid materials to shore, such as oil, slurry, etc. In some instances, a single-point mooring, such as a catenary anchor leg mooring buoy, may be used to provide an offshore unloading point for a ship or dredger, where the vessel approaches and engages an inlet connector of a floating hose, which is in turn connected to the mooring buoy. Material is then pumped into the floating hose and directed to an undersea pipeline via a submerged hose extending from the buoy to the pipeline.
Approaching the single-point mooring may be difficult for a vessel, particularly in rough seas. Currents or other ocean forces (e.g., winds, tides) may vary from location to location and may be difficult for a large vessel carrying a heavy load to maneuver. Some mooring buoys allow for “weathervaning” of vessels about the mooring buoy while the vessel is discharging. However, because the mooring buoys are often designed to be moored in a single location for a period of years, they have large, complicated structures and are expensive to build, deploy, and maintain.